Using Purpose to Guide

As I start my new year refreshed and recharged, I pause to reflect on my opportunities and what I should do with my time. Where should I be leading my team? How can I change the world for the better? How can I uplift those around me? What should I go learn? Who should I meet and bring into my circle of influence? These questions can be tough to answer and can lead to someone not getting started at all.

Something that has continued to guide me is to anchor back to my purpose. It can be a sage guide that can lead to answers to all of those questions and more. This purpose can be my personal purpose on this earth, my purpose as a father, my purpose as a industry professional, and my purpose as a leader of people. All of these might have slightly different answers, but in totality they make up my purpose.

It is pretty easy to say, go figure out your purpose. It is really hard to do and it cannot be done in a 30 minute brainstorming session. For me, It has involved years of drafting, putting into practice, adjusting, and adopting / learning from others. My purpose will continue to be redrafted and modified and inspired by what is happening around me in the world. However, what I do have somewhat figured out as my purpose today is a source of energy and excitement that gets me up in the morning ready to take on the day. My purpose helps to guide those million daily decisions about where to spend my limited time. It has helped guide the rituals and habits that I create for myself so that purpose can get fulfilled without me needing to think about it and remember to do it.

So as you start your new year, I suggest you take some time for yourself to inspect / re-inspect your purpose. Challenge yourself to look back and see what has really mattered to you and those close to you from your past. Those can be good nuggets to help guide you toward your purpose. You may be surprised to find that what you thought was important, wasn't.